This invention relates to photographic reflector apparatus for reflecting light from a source onto a subject to be photographed.
Serious photographers often utilize a reflector when taking pictures with a flash unit, to provide a more diffused light that eliminates harsh shadows and that eliminates locations of very high brightness such as "hot spots" on objects or "pink eye" in the eyes of a person. In the prior art, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,781,535, this has often been accomplished by the use of a support frame which holds a rigid umbrella-like reflector so it faces the subject, and which holds a flash unit so it is aimed directly away from the subject towards the umbrella-like reflector, to reflect light onto the subject. When a camera on the support frame is held at eye level, the flash unit and umbrella reflector are positioned at a considerable distance to one side of the camera, so that the reflector can lie behind the photographer over one of his shoulders. Such an arrangement has been relatively difficult to handle, because of the high torque created by the weight of the flash unit and reflector at one side of the camera, and also has been relatively complex and costly.